I will not speak. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has spoken on the motions.
TDs / Niall Collins
Niall Collins
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
223
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
63,958
words spoken in the chamber
63,945 as a minister, 13 as a TD
351
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
87
topics asked about
Across 17 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 223 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 201 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 14 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 13 | 7 |
| March 2025 | 10 | 7 |
| April 2025 | 16 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 11 | 7 |
| June 2025 | 12 | 3 |
| July 2025 | 13 | 40 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 10 | 13 |
| October 2025 | 11 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 14 | 8 |
| December 2025 | 9 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 6 | 8 |
| February 2026 | 15 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 16 | 7 |
| April 2026 | 4 | 8 |
| May 2026 | 11 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 16 | 0 |
| July 2026 | 8 | 21 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 10 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 4 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 146 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Limerick County 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice 29 January 2025 to 4 June 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration 5 June 2025 to 28 May 2026
- office Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 28 May 2026 to now
That is the way it goes.
I move:
That Dáil Éireann resolves that section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 (No. 32 of 2009) shall continue in operation for the period beginning on 30th June, 2025 and ending on 29th June, 2026.
I, too, express my sincere sympathies and condolences to the family of Garda Kevin Flatley on the truly horrific circumstances of his passing. I attended Henry Street Garda station in Limerick earlier on this week to sign the book of condolences and spoke to the Garda chief subsequently to convey our feelings and thoughts to his colleague and the Garda community up and down the country.
I thank the Deputy for his qu…
As regards judicial resourcing, the Judicial Planning Working Group was established in 2021 in line with the previous programme for Government and submitted its report in February 2023. This led to the appointment of 24 additional judges in 2023 and Government approval for the appointment of an additional 20 judges in October 2024. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, intends to request the Judicial Appointments Commiss…
I will revert to the Deputy on the commencements.
Our intention is to ensure that the new family law courts are sufficiently funded. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, is very conscious of the need to resource the new family law courts system and we are committed to ensuring that it is properly funded to deliver meaningful reform. In budget 2025, the Department of Justice allocated an additional €11 million to the Co…
The Deputy is right about the issue he has raised. It is something I and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and indeed the Department, are aware of. It is my understanding that a submission is being made to the Department on that and it will be given due consideration. We do recognise it absolutely as a serious issue.
I assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to improving outcomes for young people at risk of a life of criminality through investment in youth justice services. Our commitment is clearly outlined by our youth justice strategy. A top priority of the strategy is the expansion and deepening of the services offered to young people by youth diversion projects. These projects are community-based, multi-agency cri…
I mentioned there were two new projects being stood up in east Clare and north Tipperary. That confirms we have full national coverage for youth diversion projects. Of the 93 projects, three operate in County Meath. Of the three Meath programmes, the ones in Navan and Duleek in south-east Meath are operated by Foróige and the SMART Project in Trim is operated by the Crann Support Group. In total, these projects will …
The community safety fund is currently open for applications and is funded by the proceeds of crime seized by CAB. As the Deputy correctly said, the idea is to make available those proceeds to communities that have been impacted by crime.
I will revert to the Deputy on his specific query, as I am not in a position to give him an answer about it now.
I thank Deputies for their contributions to this important debate. We have listened carefully to what has been said today, and we can all agree on the importance of this opt-in.
In summary, this proposal was presented by the European Commission to the Council on 14 February 2025. It is for an amending regulation that will update and replace Annexes A and B of recast Regulation 2015/848. These annexes are decisive in…
The issue of community safety is something that I know is a top priority for the Members of this House. There is no doubt that supporting our young people, particularly those who need it most, will play a central part in achieving this goal. As the new Minister of State, I am filled with hope and optimism for what we can achieve together.
The measure of a safe community is how we care for each other and the most vul…
I thank the Deputy for his long-standing interest in this issue and for raising it. Tackling the scourge of drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups, which inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities in rural Ireland, is a top priority for the Government and our Department. As part of budget 2025, €36 million has been allocated to youth justice services. This investment …
The Deputy represents a Border constituency and I re-emphasise there is ongoing close co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle cross-Border criminality, including through the mechanism of the joint agency task force established under the 2015 Northern Ireland Fresh Start Agreement. This task force is producing results and helping to keep people safe in really practic…
Deputy Smith has referenced community safety and criminality in rural areas in particular, as has Deputy Ó Murchú. I reiterate that rural and community safety is not just a job for An Garda Síochána alone. It requires a multiagency, multisectoral and a whole-of-government response. Supporting the work of our national rural safety forum, the Department of Justice first published the Rural Safety Plan 2022-2024. That p…
I thank the Deputy for his question. I assure him the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. Our budget for 2025 saw an unprecedented level of funding of €2.48 billion for the year which, as I referenced previously, is a 27% increase since 2020. I have also referenced that we …
The Deputy is correct to raise the issues that impact on his constituency. There is no doubt that the three of us here on the Front Bench are taking note of what he is saying and we will convey his views to the Garda Commissioner. To reiterate, a number of years ago, this House passed a major Bill, which means the entire operational side of An Garda Síochána is in the gift of the Garda Commissioner and his office. It…
This is absolutely something we can raise in our next discussion with the Garda Commissioner and his team. In my own experience, I have seen many community outreach and engagement activities by An Garda Síochána so it is not something beyond their capabilities. I do not see any reason why it cannot be done and we will certainly offer that as a suggestion.
Are we supposed to fly?
I thank Deputy Hearne for raising this important issue. The Government and the HSE are fully committed to enhancing services to better support children with disabilities in Ireland. The Progressing Disability Services Roadmap 2023-2026 focuses on the ongoing development of CDNTs to meet current and growing demand. A child does not require a diagnosis to access services. CDNTs provide a multidisciplinary assessment of…
The overall HSE disability budget for 2025 has increased to €3.2 billion. That equates to an 11.6% increase over the previous year. This matter remains an extremely high priority for the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, for the Government and for senior leadership within the HSE. The HSE is supporting families of children while they are on waiting lists. These initiatives include access to webi…
On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on a number of issues. The Coroner Service comprises a network of coroners in districts throughout the country and a coroner is an independent office holder. The Department of Justice has direct responsibility for providing financial and administrative support to the Dublin District Coroner…
I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter The Department of Justice is committed to driving the modernisation of the coroner service in Ireland. There are many positive aspects to the current service. Foremost is the compassion of coroners and their staff when engaging with bereaved family members.
A number of areas would benefit from being modernised. For this reform process to be effective, it needs to take…
My thanks to People Before Profit-Solidarity for tabling this motion on gender-based violence. I acknowledge also the emphatic contributions made by all speakers across the House. Like other speakers, I also want to acknowledge our visitors in the Gallery today and thank them for their input.
As the Minister made clear earlier, the Government is not opposing this motion. We are all in agreement that we need to keep …
I also congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election.
I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this important matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, who has engaged with the Revenue Commissioners on this matter. He has been informed by Revenue that there has been no change in the legislation nor in Revenue’s interpretation of the existing legislation relating to the benefit-…